I am a Senior Political Contributor at Forbes and the official 'token lefty,' as the title of the page suggests. However, writing from the 'left of center' should not be confused with writing for the left as I often annoy progressives just as much as I upset conservative thinkers. In addition to the pages of Forbes.com, you can find me every Saturday morning on your TV arguing with my more conservative colleagues on "Forbes on Fox" on the Fox News Network and at various other times during the week serving as a liberal talking head on other Fox News and Fox Business Network shows. I also serve as a Democratic strategist with Mercury Public Affairs.

Peyton Manning, Papa John's Pizza And The NFL-Will The NFL Drop Papa John's As An NFL Official Sponsor Over Obamacare?

I admire the hard working players who go out there and play hard each and every week during the season—giving up their bodies and their talent in an effort to deliver their best for the hometown crowd along with the working-class fan base that has made the NFL what it is today.

That is why I find it so upsetting that Papa John’s—the pizza company that will soon provide many of its employees with far more time to watch football thanks to a plan to reduce employee work hours in the effort to avoid the company’s responsibilities under the Affordable Care Act—is the official pizza sponsor of the NFL.

Think about this for a moment.

Our uniquely American game—one that has grown into an empire on the backs of the hard working players and the loyal, American working men and women who love and support the game—is in league with a company that appears ready to throw some of those same dedicated fans, and their families, under a bus so that Papa John’s can drop a few more dollars to the company’s bottom line.

The cost of Papa John’s professed fealty to its shareholders at the expense of its employees?

These workers, who typically earn too much to qualify for Medicaid and too little to afford health insurance for their families on what Papa John’s pays them, will find themselves facing a fourth down and long without a play to call when a member of that family faces a serious illness.

But it’s not just these employees who are being left to run a passing route with no ball ever coming their way.

Other fans of the NFL—people like you and I who pay our already expensive monthly premiums for our family’s health insurance needs—will be left to pick up the tab for Papa John’s employees when they show up in the emergency room because they have no other option for their care. That means that Papa John’s will make more money at my expense, despite the fact that I have never set foot in a Papa John’s restaurant nor ordered up one of their pizzas. This means that I will personally be subsidizing Papa John’s profits without ever once becoming a customer—as will a great many of you—because this pizza company is willing to shirk its responsibilities in favor of letting you and me pay the bill.

Is this really the type of company the NFL wants besmirching its reputation by permitting them to be an official sponsor? What coach would ever preach to his players that they should get out of the way of an oncoming rush and allow a teammate to take the hit rather than stepping up and doing the job that is the player’s responsibility?

On the day the alliance between the National Football League and Papa John’s was announced, it was also disclosed that Denver quarterback and future Hall-of-Famer, Peyton Manning, had become the owner of 21 Papa John’s locations in the Denver area. Manning additionally serves as a spokesperson for the pizza chain—featured in a television commercial wherein he encourages CEO John Schnatter to give away two million free pizzas. Note that the cost of the give-away promotion far exceeds the burden of providing the affected employees with health care benefits.

Like most football fans, I love Peyton Manning.

When he faced his career ending neck surgery, I was rooting hard for him to make it back to the game. And while I have never been a Denver Broncos supporter, I have made it a point this year to tune in to watch almost every Denver game just to add my measure of support for Manning’s comeback effort and to see his progress as he works hard to regain the form that has made him one of the all-time greats at the quarterback position.

I’ve been there for Peyton Manning. Now, I would like to ask Peyton to do something for me.

More specifically, I would like Peyton Manning to do something for all the hard working Americans that have been there to support him and the NFL, thereby allowing Peyton to earn a great and well-deserved living.

I would like Mr. Manning to return the favor by announcing that his Papa John’s franchise operations will not be cutting back on its employee hours and that his restaurants will gladly comply with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. I want Peyton to tell us that he will personally see to it that the people who work for him at his 21 stores will each receive their health care benefits.

Guys like Peyton Manning lead by example—and I can imagine no better example than his standing up for the working men and women who have always been there to support him, the game and the National Football League. If Peyton Manning will come forward to do the right thing, just watch as other Papa John’s franchise owners follow his lead.

On a separate note, I have been interested by the number of commenters responding to my article of this past week discussing Papa John’s efforts—along with some other franchise restaurant operations—to avoid giving health care benefits to their employees. It seems that many of these readers are sympathetic to these businesses because they believe that providing healthcare benefits to their employees is just not something these companies can afford to do without damaging their businesses, despite the millions in profit that many of these operations rake in each year.

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I’m not going to take the time to read the sites you just linked for me. Are any of those cases where someone was denied healthcare because of creed, color, or gender? I am well aware that people who can’t afford their healthcare can be turned away after they are stabilized. But you linking the right of women to vote to the right to healthcare not existing in the constitution is a little off base. No one is denied healthcare, provided they can afford it. So I guess this turns the debate to an equally important question: what is reasonable expenses to expect under basic healthcare?

I’d also like your thoughts on the other part of my comment. Can we expect citizens to take more personal responsibility if they are provided nationalized healthcare coverage? If papa john is forced to include healthcare coverage to his employees, can he then fire employees for unhealthy behaviors? We already see that insurance companies raise premiums or even drop people for certain behaviors.

Ha! Where do I -or you- say anything about race, creed or color? You were arguing that everyone has access to health care and you were simply wrong. Too bad you can’t be bothered to learn something by taking a look at the references I took the time to provide. That being the case, I don’t think I’m being unreasonable when I note that I’ve probably spent enough time on you.

Mr. Ungar, at what dollar value in profit do you think the owner of an organization should provide his/her employees appropriate medical coverage? What would be the estimated cost per employees of appropriate medical coverage? You seem upset that owners that create wealth don’t share their wealth appropriately in the form of health insurance. Can’t employees seek their true value in the market place, or do you feel they are victims incapable of doing this? If the free market and the free will of people is flawed, what would you recommend? Perhaps you are suggestion we should all pay more for products than the free market dictate, or placing limits on profits. When one person tries to make correction to a free market, the result is usually much worse. Could you tell me which pizza product I should buy that provides the correct medical insurance coverage for their employees? I find it interesting when those that can’t produce wealth, criticize the methods of those that can.

Let me answer this way. At what dollar value should the owner of an organization decide that employees should work 18 hours a day rather than the legal 8 (without overtime.) And what if that employee is someone who doesn’t have value in the marketplace beyond doing rather untrained or menial labor. Does that person not deserve health care or maybe because he or she was born without the mental acuity to achieve something other than delivering pizza-even though that individual works their butt off to be the best pizza deliverer they can? My point is that I do believe in corporate responsibility in business. And yes, I practice what I preach. I have small businesses…with employees…and they do receive health care benefits, the same my wife and I receive. My business is very much the people who work there. Why would I not provide them with the basics they need to care for their families?

Sounds like you have a great opportunity to start a pizza business that draws better employees due to your more generous benefits and out competes Papa John franchises. I look forward to seeing you practice what tyou preach in the pizza business. Please let me know when you open stores in Eastern Pennsylvania. Also, I respect and admire your commitment and dedication as a writer. I haven’t seen an author as engaged with his readers as you. I disagree with your thinking, but I am impressed with your willingness to engage with your readers. I liked Forbes prior to your article, but due to your interaction with your readers, I am a more loyal reader. Thank you.

Thanks very much for your comment. You are precisely the type of commenter I look for. The fact that you disagree is not only fine-it is desirable. It is through the debate that people, hopefully, learn something. Besides, if everyone agreed it would all get pretty boring, wouldn’t it! I very much appreciate what you had to say and if I ever do open a pizza joint in Eastern Pennsylvania (i can think of a great location in the Squirrel Hill section of Pittsburgh), you’ll be the first to know!

This article and your ridiculous point of view on life, work, and responsibility is hilarious. You repeatedly state in your article as well as in your rebuttals to comments that employers are that, employers. I notice that you didnt call them insurance provider/ employer. You are also not a business owner in a business with small profit margins, like fast food pizza. You speak of a familyowned pizza business like you actually know their business model and have done your do diligence before making outlandish statements. Any business owner can write in saying they provide insurance to employees. As most Papa Johns locations are owned by local franchisees, small business owners, its irresponsible for you to tell readers not to spend money at their establishments. These ppl work their butts off just the same as other small business owners and have a huge amount of dedication to their communities. One of our local John’s donates thousands of dollars in pizza yearly to help school children and we have people like you that are clueless enough to say that because you don’t like Johns beliefs then the hell with all the hard working franchisees as well! Also, Nick Martin doesnt own a franchise, like most of the people you are hurting by your article. He doesnt pay a 6 to 7% in royalty fees on his gross sales. So let me break that down for you, on a million in sales that equates to 60 to 70k a year! Nick Martin spends around 120k a year for employee insurance for his four stores. That being said he can afford to offer insurance and still keep his costs well below a franchisees costs. I don’t see how its any more a employers responsibility as it is mine or yours. For an employer to provide insurance to a worker that is in a skilled position and making 15 to 20 an hour, the added insurance cost isnt as much of an increase per employee compared to their output when comparing to a minimum wage employee that now has an added cost of Obamacare. There again for someone that can type some buttons on a laptop and criticize hard working small business owners, that happen to own a franchise is absurd. If you knew anything about running a restaurant and the work that you have to put in I don’t think you would be so critical.

I am a Facebook participant in the Boycott papa John’s Movement..and a football fan. I submitted this to Peyton Manning’s FB page, along with many other commenters…

Peyton, I along with many others ask that you reconsider your relationship with John Schnatter. He has chosen to jeopardise the well being of his employees by reducing their hours, rather than increase the price of his product by less than 1%, (an increase that those who like his product have said they would gladly pay, or an even higher price, to prevent the employees from experiencing reduced income)and siting the AHCA as his reason when the full impact of the program (negative or positive) will not be felt until 2014. This negative reaction on the part of consumers may possibly impact the franchises you have recently purchased. Another reason being given is that workers without insurance will go to work when ill out of necessity and contaminate the product: not a pleasant thought. The public is aware of Mr. Schnatter’s net worth, and have seen pictures of his home. The 14 cent argument, in that context, is laughable. The 2 million free pizza promo with you is also being discussed, and not in a positive light. You have many fans, but you are also a smart and charitable businessman. Please do the right thing. Respectfully, Linda Pacheco RI”